Edmonton 3x3 Challenger - Day 1 Review
The West Edmonton Mall is becoming a top location for Canadian 3x3 basketball - a week after hosting the final stop of the Women's 3x3 Series, it now welcomed sixteen top teams from the 3x3 World Tour, who would be fighting for a place in the Nanjing Masters as well as the Edmonton Challenge title.
Sitting comfortably in the top ten, Edmonton had earned their place in the main tournament, while Qualifying Pool B was an all-Canadian affair - made up of Winnipeg, Beausejour and Grand Prairie. Three teams would be battling it out against each other, as there was room for only one in the main draw.
After a tight start in their opening game, an eight-point unbeaten run from Winnipeg spurred them on to a big victory against Beausejour. Steven Wesley led all on the floor with eight for Winnipeg, who won their opener 21-8.
Beausejour then found themselves in a back-and-forth game with Grande Prairie - the latter taking the early lead, the former going four points clear. Lee Danderfer struck tie the game with seconds left and a final shot from Ryan Coleman won the game for Grande Prairie, at the final buzzer they led 15-14.
So it was now between Grand Prairie and Winnipeg to see who would be joining Edmonton in the main draw. In the final match-up Winnipeg were able to assert themselves with good long-distance shooting, leading by as much as eight in the game.
Ryan Coleman and Chris Mooney tried to start the fight back for Grand Prairie, but Winnipeg’s excellent inside play Three players finished with a game-high six points as Winnipeg advance to the main draw, beating Grand Prairie 22-16.
Local attention then turned to Pool D, which had two Canadian teams looking to win a place in the next round, but only two would advance and they faced a stiff third opponent in dependable Serbian team Vrbas.
Edmonton were first up to take on Vrbas and after a close start to the game they went from down one to up six after an unbeaten seven point run. Strajinja Stojacic tried to save it for Vrbas, but behind the work of Jordan Baker inside and Steve Sir outside, Edmonton were dominant over their first opponents, ending the game ahead 22 points to 13.
Winnipeg weren’t so fortunate against the Serbian side, allowing five unanswered points straight away. The Winnipegers tried to catch up in the paint, but every time they closed the gap, Vrbas quickly re-asserted their lead.
Stojacic had the last of his game-high ten points in the last two minutes and a final basked from Marko Brankovic 21-16. They still had a chance to make it to day two, but it would mean having to be the villains in Edmonton and take down the home side.
When the compatriot teams met in the final game of the day, Edmonton had the early lead but Winnipeg fought back and tied the scores midway through the game. Winnipeg kept up the pressure and Ayob Ayob gave them the lead with just over 2:30 to go, but a four point run from Edmonton proved decisive in the outcome.
Steven Wesley, the game’s top scorer with nine, brought Winnipeg to within one with seconds left, but either team unable to find the basket another time, the final buzzer was the decider. Ahead 20-19, Edmonton kept their undefeated record alive and booked their place on day two, at the expense of Winnipeg, who exited the tournament without a win.
Edmonton will be looking to keep local hopes alive in the knockout round, where they will first face Pool B runners-up Humpolec. Check back here for a full report on day two, while all the details can be found on the official 3x3 World Tour website.
Picture: FIBA.com
